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Delaware's Delle Donne The Real Deal

LITTLE ROCK

Rave reviews bring out the contrarian.

We've all done it, somebody gushes about a must-see movie or a new television series, and we take a gander determined to nitpick the touted selection.

Before Delaware and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock tipped off in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon, I thought maybe the praise and adoration of Elena Delle Donne was embellished by the back story of her love for her sister and her home. Maybe her nation-leading 27.5 points per game reflected the lack of competition.

After all, her notoriety included equal footing with Brittney Griner of Baylor as the best in the women's college game.

The 6-foot-5 Delle Donne is the real deal, a fact that was clear long before she left the game for the first time with 12:03 to play in the second half. At that point, she had made 12-of-24 shots, including 4-of-7 3s, and had scored 34 of the Blue Hens' 49 points. When she sat down, UALR had 28 points.

Delaware's 10-point halftime lead quickly grew to 15 when Delle Donne followed UALR turnovers with a 15 footer and a 3.

With 2:30 to play, UALR got to 40, one more than Delle Donne scored in 30 minutes.

With 2:30 to play, UALR got to 40, one more than Delle Donne scored in 30 minutes.

To have any chance, UALR needed major production from its best athlete, shooter Taylor Gault. Delaware was well aware of her want to go left and the 5-8 Gault was 3-of-19 in the 73-42 loss.

"Elena is the highest-profile player we've had in our league since David Robinson played for Navy," Tom Yeager, the Colonial Athletic Association commissioner, said recently. "And it goes beyond scoring points."

Unintentionally, she is a magnet, even during warm-ups. The easy-going lay-ups were over when she asked a teammate to pitch her a ball and provide token defense. A head fake, a step to the left, and a swish from 15 feet followed.

The tallest player on the court, she hung out beyond the 3-point arc and made shot after shot.

Even her misses were dead on line.

Before identifying me as a card-carrying member of her fan club, know that she is not perfect. She missed in close on a couple of occasions, forced a shot or two, and threw a horribly high pass over a teammate although not pressured. There also was a moment early when she got too far into the lane on a break and lost the ball. Instead of sulking, she nailed a 17-footer on Delaware's next possession.

There were other things to like, including the times she was on the floor for a loose ball and the evidence that she is more than a scoring machine. She planted a seed of intimidation with a couple of blocked shots early and she enjoys winning, punctuating a teammate's tough lay-up with a fist pump.

On the other hand, her teammates seem to understand their role as subordinates and know that they can't win without points galore from her.

Delle Donne played every second of the first half and she appeared tired in the final two minutes. I wondered if she could play the whole game if needed and learned that she averaged 35.5 minutes per game, including the full 40 minutes in nine games.

Thirty minutes of Delle Donne was too much for UALR. Forty minutes of her will go a long way in the NCAA Tournament.